Ridley Scott hasn’t even finished post-production on The Counselor yet, but Fox already has an eye on awards season for his next project. The studio has set a December 12, 2014 release for Scott’s Moses movie Exodus.

That doesn’t leave Scott with a whole lot of room to do much else before jumping into Exodus from The Counselor. It’s probably a safe bet, then, that Prometheus 2 won’t land before 2015 or so. But that’s not stopping a casting rumor concerning Brit actor Rik Barnett (Rebels Without a Clue) from making the rounds. Hit the jump for more info on Exodus‘ premiere date and Prometheus 2‘s potential new star.

The buzz about Barnett comes from Prometheus 2 Movie News (via Screen Rant). They cite a source who claims that Scott has met “many times” with Barnett, whom he wants for a key role possibly connected to Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace). I don’t know enough about the site to gauge how reliable they or their anonymous informant is, so for now this should strictly be filed under rumor.

Even if it’s true that Barnett and Scott have been chatting, the site’s sources caution that no casting will be locked in until the story and script are finalized. Though we know the talk about Prometheus 2‘s development woes were exaggerated, casting is likely still a ways off.

But for now, Scott will be keeping his focus on the two projects he definitely has scheduled to premiere in the near future. Exodus‘ new opening date not only puts it in the thick of prestige pic season, it puts it in close proximity to tough competitors like The Hobbit: There and Back Again (December 17) and Tomorrowland (December 19).

The biblical epic already has a script, written by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage with additional work by Steve Zaillian. However, it still needs a star. Christian Bale was said to be circling the lead role a few months back, but nothing’s been confirmed at this point. In the meantime, The Counselor is due in theaters November 15, also thanks to Fox.